OPEN NATIONAL TRAINING TEAM
The OPEN National Training Team is the best and largest professional development organization in United States. Every member of the team is a seasoned educator who has demonstrated a passion and ability to elevate the professional experience for their peers across the nation. In addition to providing live and virtual professional learning experiences, OPEN National Trainers also contribute content for OPENPhysEd.org curriculum resources, contribute to the OPEN community on social media, and are leaders for professional organizations at the local, state, and national levels. We are #TeachersHelpingTeachers.
Want to learn more about OPEN? Click the buttons below to meet the OPEN staff members and our OPEN Partners.
Aaron Hart
Aaron is the creator and Executive Director of OPEN. He has co-authored several nationally recognized curriculum projects and specializes in web-based content delivery. Additionally, he is the author of the Varsity Brands Believe In You SEL curriculum tools and student empowerment journals. Aaron’s passion for equity of access and community empowerment began over 20 years ago and has continued to guide his professional journey. He began his teaching career as a New York City public school teacher and is currently a part-time faculty member in SUNY Cortland’s Physical Education Department. The vision for OPEN began as a crazy conversation between Aaron and his long-time friend, Nick Kline. BSN Sports believed that Aaron’s crazy vision was the right thing to do for teachers and for the kids that they serve. Aaron joined the BSN Sports family in 2014 and the OPEN movement was born. Since that time, the OPEN project has grown into a community of more than 100,000 educators and has served over 50 million students worldwide with more than 4 million downloads.
Amber Sladecek
Amber Sladecek has 18 years of teaching experience at the elementary level and 8 years of coaching at the high school level. She currently serves as the lead physical education teacher in Georgetown ISD where she plans upcoming professional development, leads in-service instruction, and writes physical education curriculum. In addition to being an OPEN National Trainer, Amber currently serves in a leadership role for TAHPERD. She has presented at numerous conventions, conferences, and districts in an effort to promote quality physical education in our schools.
Ami Gibson
Ami Gibson is an energetic, grassroots physical educator who has over 10 years of exemplary teaching experience at the elementary, middle and high school levels. In 2017, she was honored with the Ambroze “Braz” Brazelton Heart and Mind Award at the National PE Institute in Asheville, NC. More recently, Ami became an OPEN National Trainer, and is enjoying sharing her passion of physical education with fellow teachers. She knows the importance of challenging the mind and body through movement, which is why she created her own business, entitled KAM (Krazy About Movement).
Andrea Hart
Andrea Hart, RDN has worked as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for more that 20 years. Her professional passion is helping people improve their relationship with food. She provides nutrition coaching and consulting services to individuals and like-minded organizations working to provide research-based nutrition education programming. She works closely with the OPEN Development Team and has contributed to the OPEN Early Childhood and Physical Education curriculum projects. As a feature presenter she provides professional development and nutrition information to groups, both big and small – including educators, childcare providers, college students, food service workers, parents, and athletes.
Andrew Pickett
Andrew Pickett has over 15 years of exemplary teaching and coaching experience at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Additionally, he served as the physical education administrator for Chicago Public Schools. Andrew has spent his entire career working in diverse underserved areas to improve physical education programming for students. In 2019, Andrew was honored as Illinois Secondary Physical Education Teacher of the Year. In addition to teaching, coaching and serving as an OPEN National Trainer, Andrew works with many non-profits and universities to produce teaching resources and mentor new teachers in the field.
Angel Butler
Angel Butler has 20 years of teaching experience at all K-12 levels. She is a National Board Certified physical education teacher who enjoys working with students and teachers to introduce, promote, and develop the love of physical activity. Angel has presented at numerous professional development conferences for SHAPE FL and within her district. She is an OPEN National Trainer and excited about sharing her love for PE with other teachers!
April Baugh
April Baugh is in her 11th year of teaching Physical Education and Health. April also serves as the social media coordinator for the Kansas AHPERD and served on the Executive Board. She also is the physical education and health representative for the Kansas Department of Educations’ Redesign of Schools, as well as an OPEN National Trainer. In 2017, she won her school district’s Teacher of the Year honor and went on to be named a regional semifinalist in Kansas. April has a passion in sharing how social emotional health and trauma awareness can impact physical education and health students.
Ashley Grimes
Ashley Grimes has been in education for over 12 years. She currently serves as Pinellas County School District’s Specialist for Health, Physical Education and School Wellness. Ashley has received well over $2.5 million for her district through various grant initiatives. Ashley has presented at the local, state, and national levels focusing on instructional best practices for health and physical education and Marzano in physical education. In addition to being an OPEN National Trainer, she has served as SHAPE Florida President and Presidential Youth Fitness Program National Trainer.
Ashley Sharp
Ashley Sharp has 10 years of teaching experience at both the middle and elementary school level. She is currently the Elementary Physical Education Department Head for Palmdale (CA) School District. Ashley has been an integral part of putting quality elementary physical education back into Palmdale School District. She has recently developed a Physical Education Olympiad for her school district, which caters to over 700 students. In 2018, Ashley became an OPEN National Trainer. In her spare time, she coaches softball and travels the country playing women’s slow pitch softball.
Benjamin Pirillo
Benjamin Pirillo has been an elementary PE teacher since 2001. He was the recipient of the 2015 TAHPERD Elementary TOY and the 2016 SHAPE America Southern District Elementary TOY Awards. He has served his school district through the development of Coordinated School Health and Physical Education curriculums. In 2013, Benjamin created a YouTube channel to share engaging activities he uses with his students. Benjamin also constructed his own website to provide more resources for teachers to use in their classes. He presents as an OPEN National Trainer and loves helping create OPEN content.
Beth Uhlman
Beth Uhlman has over 26 years of teaching and coaching experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She has taught in a variety of learning environments including private and public as well as urban and inner-city schools. Beth has a passion for providing quality physical education content and inspiring healthy lifestyle choices for her students and faculty. She has been named Teacher of the Year (Elementary and Secondary) as well as Coach of the Year for Alabama AHPERD. Beth served on the committee to help write the current Course of Study for the State of Alabama, as an Athletic Director, an OPEN National Trainer and served various non-profits around Birmingham.
Bethany Chapple
Bethany Chapple is a certified adapted physical educator with a decade of experience in teaching elementary and adapted physical education. In addition, Bethany has taught virtually at the high school level and is a Special Olympics coach. Bethany serves as an OPEN National Trainer and on the Georgia State University HPE/APE advisory committee. In 2018, Bethany was awarded the Georgia Adapted PE Teacher of the Year. The following year she was the recipient of the SHAPE America Southern District Adapted PE Teacher of the Year award.
Betty Ann Fish
Betty Ann Fish is the chair of the physical education department at SCH Academy (Springside Chestnut Hill) in Philadelphia. She has been teaching at the elementary level and coaching at the middle and high school level for over 30 years. She currently serves as the President Elect for SHAPE PA. In 2013 Betty Ann was named the elementary PE teacher of the year for PSAHPERD. In 2015 she was named the Eastern District Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year and SHAPE America National Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year. Betty Ann is an OPEN National Trainer
Brandon Herwick
Brandon Herwick is a Physical Educator with unique teaching experience in both a Brooklyn charter school and a public school in upstate New York. He has presented over 75 professional development workshops, sessions, and keynotes nationwide, as well as virtual presentations for conferences in Mexico and Australia. Brandon has served in several leadership roles in NYSAHPERD on state and local levels. A proud OPEN National Trainer, Brandon has co-authored the OPEN K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 Dance modules. Find out more about Brandon on Twitter by searching his Twitter handle @BrooklynDreamer or by searching ‘Brandon Herwick’ on YouTube.
Brandy Lynch
With over 16 years in education, Brandy Lynch has a wealth of experience teaching and coaching in public schools with diverse populations. Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for a Physical Education Teacher Education program in Missouri. Dr. Lynch specializes in the application of technology in instruction, quality assessment practices, and the analysis of effective teaching. In 2022, she received the “Excellence in Teaching” Award from the College of Education at her university. In addition to serving as an OPEN National Trainer, Dr. Lynch also holds leadership roles in state and national physical education organizations.
Brian Devore
Before accepting his role as Professional Development Manager for OPEN, Brian Devore had over 25 years of exemplary teaching experience at the middle and elementary levels. Additionally, he supervised online HPE programs for the Cobb County school district and served as Fulton County Schools Health and Physical Education Coordinator. In 2013-14, Brian was named Cobb County’s Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year, Georgia AHPERD’s Elementary PE TOY, and Southern District SHAPE America Elementary PE TOY. Most recently, he was the recipient of the first OPEN National Trainer Impact Award for his service and dedication to OPEN. In 2005, Devore was named Georgia’s Middle School PE Teacher of the Year. Along with his current position, Brian is a two-time Georgia AHPERD President, Georgia AHPERD’s Social Media Director/Webmaster, OPEN National Trainer, and SHAPE America Southern District Past President.
Brian Mosier
Dr. Brian Mosier has 21 years of physical education teaching experience at the K-12 and university levels. He currently serves as the Department Chair for Sport Management, Wellness, & Physical Education at the University of West Georgia. His research interests focus on the promotion of physical activity in schools, effective teaching and supervision, and online learning. Brian contributes to the profession by publishing and presenting at the state and national levels, he serves on the Georgia Fitness Advisory Committee, is the editor for Technology Tips for the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, and is an OPEN National Trainer.
Candace Young
Candace Young has spent the last 10 years creating a culture of physically literate students at the elementary and secondary levels in Kentucky. She currently teaches Kindergarten Physical Education at Madison Kindergarten Academy in Richmond, Kentucky. Candace was named Kentucky SHAPE’s Secondary PE Teacher of the Year in 2015 and was Kentucky SHAPE’s president in 2018. These experiences and accomplishments have led to Candace being named an OPEN National Trainer. It is her goal as an OPEN National Trainer to help teachers gain more confidence in teaching early childhood Physical Education. Candace enjoys running, kayaking, and hiking.
Charla Krahnke
Charla is the 2013 SHAPE National HS PE TOY, 2013 Southern District TOY and 2013 NC SHAPE TOY. She is a National Board Certified Teacher with a BS in Health/Physical Education from East Carolina University and Masters in Education/Exercise Science from Campbell University. Charla retired in July, 2014 after 32 years of teaching and coaching with the Wake County School System in NC. Charla is currently working as an OPEN National Trainer and has presented across the United States. Her specialties include the OPEN Curriculum, Physical Education Assessments, and the Sport Education Model.
Chris Nichols
Chris spent 27 years as a physical educator in Texas. During his career, Chris developed the physical education program at a newly established Montessori campus, taught at one of the largest schools in Texas, and coached high school basketball. Additionally, Chris has leadership experience at the district level supporting teachers with curriculum, and professional development. In 2018, Chris was recognized as the Texas AHPERD Elementary Teacher of the Year. He has held several leadership positions within this organization including Early Childhood Chair Elect and Advocacy Chair. Chris has presented to educators at state and national conferences across the country.
Chris Walker
Chris Walker has over 22 years teaching experience at the elementary level. Additionally, he has served as the lead physical education teacher for Orange County Schools and is on the local SHAC (School Health Advisory Council) as the physical education liaison. Chris is on the Executive Board for NCAAHPERD-SM and is currently serving as the President-Elect. He was named the Orange County Schools Teacher of the Year in 2017-18. He also serves as the PELT (Physical Education Leadership Training) Conference Chair. Chris is an OPEN National Trainer and has been presenting on various topics since 1997.
Christina Courtney
Christina Courtney has 15 years K-12 physical education teaching experience at the University Laboratory School on Louisiana State University’s campus. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early and Middle Childhood Physical Education, and an OPEN National Trainer. As a member of LAHPERD, Christina serves as the Mini Grant Coordinator and Tour de Fitness Trainer. Christina has won several awards such as Taylor Dodson Young Professional Award in 2011, the LAHPERD Elementary TOY in 2015, and the Katherine F. Hill Honor Award in 2020.
Christine Drago
Christine is a graduate of Manhattanville College where she received a Master’s degree in Physical Education and Health Education. She is in her 10th year of teaching physical education for the NYC Department of Education. Christine is also an adjunct professor for the Physical Education Graduate Program at Manhattanville College. In addition to teaching, coaching, and being an OPEN National Trainer, Christine is also the partnership Liaison at her school PS 20. She works to coordinate with community-based organizations, private partners, groups, etc. to secure goods and services for her school community.
Crystal Williams
Crystal Williams has over 10 years of experience in health and fitness which includes teaching at the college level, pre-K-8 physical education, and coaching sports. Currently, she is a physical education teacher and TAHPERD Technology Chair. In past years, she was a Lead Physical Education Teacher for her school district and a Cooperating Teacher for the University of Memphis. Students, parents, and faculty members love her energetic vibe for supporting all students and teachers. She is the true definition of a teacher helping teachers to provide their students with a great learning experience.
Dan Tennessen
Dan has been teaching at the elementary and middle school levels in an urban environment for over a decade and has been called a “master teacher” by his colleagues. Along with being an OPEN National Trainer, he has presented at several school districts and conferences including the SHAPE America National Convention and the National Physical Education Institute. As an active member of Indiana SHAPE (INSHAPE) and SHAPE America, he has led multiple INSHAPE councils and was named the 2016 INSHAPE Young Professional and the 2018 Middle School PE Teacher of the Year. He was also the 2020 SHAPE Midwest District Middle School PE Teacher of the Year.
Daniel Hill
Daniel Hill is currently in his 20th year teaching elementary physical education. Daniel is a National Board Certification Teacher and past President of KY-SHAPE. In 2014, Daniel was named KyAHPERD’s Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year. Daniel is a member of OPEN’s National Field Day Committee and #OPENAllWeek Twitter Slow Chat Team. He is passionate about health education, technology, and yoga/mindfulness.
Debra Van Klei
Deb Van Klei has been a physical education and health teacher for 25 years primarily in Stillwater Area Public Schools. In her tenure at Stillwater Area Public schools she has led professional development, curriculum writing and brought over $2 million dollars in grant funding to support the growth of physical literacy to the schools and community. Deb is on the MNSHAPE Board of Directors, a 2017 Paul Schmidt MN SHAPE award winner, a part of Minnesota Department of Education team developing MN Physical Education Standards/Benchmarks. She currently serves in a district role of mentoring new teachers, collaborating with instructional coaches to strengthen instructional strategies in all classrooms, and supporting all teachers with developing their personalized professional development plans with a focus on Universal Design.
Derek Zachary
Derek Zachary has over 18 years of exemplary teaching and coaching experience at the elementary and middle school levels. Additionally, he has served as the middle school chair, technology chair, website chair, and president elect of Tennessee AHPERD. In 2019, Derek was honored as the Tennessee Middle School Teacher of the year. In addition to teaching, coaching, and serving as an OPEN National Trainer, Derek strives to continue having a growth mindset to be able to improve and share new experiences with his students and colleagues.
Doug Hallberg
Doug Hallberg has over 26 years of Physical Education teaching experience primarily at the middle school level. Doug has spent the last 22 years in the Mohonasen School District in Albany, NY. In 2015, he was named New York State AHPERD’s Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. Doug was named the SHAPE America Eastern District Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year and the SHAPE America National Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 2017. Doug is an OPEN National Trainer and has presented at the local, state, regional and national levels, as well as Germany.
Drew Burris
Drew Burris has 12 years of teaching and coaching experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Throughout the years of dedication in the field, Drew has always been creative in delivering innovative physical education lessons. Drew has many accomplishments in his career, notably being honored as Missouri’s Elementary PE Teacher-of-the-Year in 2021. In addition to teaching, coaching, and serving as an OPEN National Trainer, Drew always gives back to his community through volunteer efforts.
Eileen Tirado
Eileen Tirado has 15 years of teaching experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in New York and Florida. She currently works with 186 schools as the only adapted physical education resource teacher for The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. Her goal is to share inclusive strategies in curriculum, adapting equipment and safety modifications to lessons. Eileen was the recipient of the 2021 SHAPE America National Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award. In addition to teaching, mentoring teachers, providing professional development, and serving as an OPEN National Trainer, Eileen works closely with community partners for special events.
Elyse Loughlin
Elyse Loughlin, an OPEN National Trainer from Albany, New York, helps physical education teachers boost their teaching strategies to ensure students get the highest quality experience available. She has been teaching physical education for 10 years and she currently serves as the newsletter editor of NYS AHPERD’s Capital Zone. Elyse also spearheads the curriculum improvement plan for her district. Elyse values infusing technology, growth mindset, and standards-based planning into her activity-based sessions.
Emmerson Clarke
Emmerson Clarke has been an elementary Physical Education teacher for 7 years at a Title 1 school in Florida. He assists his district with curriculum and professional development and coaches high school football. Emmerson has spent time at the middle school level helping students complete hundreds of hours of community service, build self-efficacy, leadership and understanding of their adolescent development. In 2019, he earned Rookie Teacher of the Year for his district and Elementary Program of the Year in the state of Florida. In addition to his teaching and coaching, Emmerson serves as an OPEN National Trainer.
Erica Armijo
Dr. Erica Armijo has over 22 years of experience teaching K-12 Physical & Health Education setting, including the role of lead teacher in Socorro ISD (TX). She has coached at the high school level as well as taught at university level for several years. Erica has served leadership roles in her state association, Texas AHPERD and was a part of the PE & Health TEKS Revision Committee for the Texas Education Agency. In addition to being an OPEN National Trainer, Dr. Armijo plans professional developments, writes curriculum, and presents numerous sessions for districts and conferences.
Evan Norwood
Evan Norwood is a physical education teacher in Millstone Township, NJ, currently teaching Pre-K through 2nd grade. As an OPEN National Trainer, he brings years of experience and knowledge in physical education, especially at the elementary level. During his time in Millstone, Evan rewrote the district’s health and physical education curriculum, aligning it with state and national standards, as well as served as a mentor to newly hired teachers and student teachers. In addition to teaching, he also coaches middle school soccer and lacrosse. Evan was named Millstone Primary School’s Governor’s Educator of the Year in 2022.
Helena Baert
Alex O’Brien has his Master’s in Education and teaches PE in Seattle Public Schools. He has impacted hundreds of teachers and thousands of students presenting professional developments in 25 states. In his role as Director of Film and Social Media for Focused Fitness, he developed hundreds PE videos used by teachers across America to improve PE instruction. Alex is an OPEN National Trainer, Spikeball National Trainer, and PE consultant. He believes in a well rounded, “whole child’” approach to PE that provides students the skills needed to become their own nutritionist and personal trainer.
Jason Leach
Jason Leach has 30 years of experience teaching Elementary Physical Education. His accomplishments include Teacher of the Year awards at Ruby Young Elementary, 1999, Crockett Elementary, 2002, and Independence Elementary, 2011. He has also received the Teacher Recognition Award by The Dallas Mavericks/UPS Store, 2014 and the Innovative Teacher Inspiring Students Award from Keller ISD, 2017. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Jason also enjoys serving as an OPEN National Trainer to provide intentional and engaging professional development sessions. Through these sessions, Jason seeks to encourage the work of others and foster the spread of knowledge and ideas amongst physical educators.
Jenn Vedder
Jenn Vedder holds a MS in Healthcare Administration from Central Michigan University and a BS in Biology and Healthcare Administration from Providence College. Prior to teaching, Jenn served as a Medical Service Corps Officer in the US Army and as a government analyst. Additionally, Jenn taught at the graduate and undergraduate levels focusing on improving healthcare delivery and the importance of social and emotional education for all. Jenn currently serves as the HPE Specialist for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, an OPEN National Trainer, and the VP for NC SHAPE. Prior to moving to Charlotte, Jenn was the 2020 Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year for Virginia and served on the Virginia Beach City Public Schools Social and Emotional Learning Implementation Team as the team lead for Student Voice and Leadership.
Jessica Adkins
Jessica Adkins has 18 years of physical education and special education teaching experience. She currently teaches physical education and unified PE courses at Maui High School. In 2020, Jessica was honored as Hawaii High School PE Teacher-of-the-Year and in 2022, she was named the SHAPE America Western District High School Teacher-of-the-Year. Jessica serves on the HAHPERD board and is an OPEN National Trainer with a passion for inclusive practices, SEL and adventure education.
Jim Deline
Jim is a 32-year veteran of the health and physical education profession. He currently teaches physical education in Austin, Texas at Highland Park Elementary School, and is an OPEN National Trainer. Jim has conducted over 300 workshops and 10 keynote speeches for schools, districts and conferences in 42 states. His awards include, the Austin ISD Teacher of the Year, 2005 NASP President’s Distinguished Service, 2012 The University of Texas College of Education Zarrow Outstanding Texas Teacher Award, 2013 Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living CATCH Champion Award 2016 OPEN Award. Jim has authored or co-authored several works related to PE and was a member of the OPEN Development Council.
Jimmy Grassano
Jimmy Grassano has over 10 years of teaching experience at the elementary level. Additionally, he has his master’s degree in Educational Leadership. Teaching HPE is a passion of Jimmy’s, as he continuously provides innovative and meaningful ways to teach students the importance of lifelong health and wellness. In 2021, Jimmy was honored as the Virginia AHPERD Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year. In addition to teaching and serving as an OPEN National Trainer, Jimmy works as a mentor for HPE teachers as well as a group leader for his division’s PLC’s providing continuous learning
Jo Dixon
Jo (Jonette) Dixon is currently the District Curriculum Coordinator for Health and Physical Education in the Poudre School District in Fort Collins, CO. She has taught Physical Education, Health Education and Adapted Physical Education for 24 years at the middle school and high school levels in Colorado and Missouri. Jo has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Missouri. In addition to being a part of the OPEN National Training Team, Jo mentors many new teachers in the field and was honored as a State and Central District Middle School Physical Education TOY, and by SHAPE Colorado for a Distinguished Service Award and Pathfinder Award, and as an Excellence in Education Teacher of the Year finalist for Poudre School District.
Joanna Faerber
Joanna Faerber is a National Board-Certified Teacher and the recipient of the 2009 AAHPERD National NASPE Elementary PE, Southern District, and Louisiana Teacher of the Year. Joanna taught physical education at Louisiana State University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge for over 30 years. Currently, Joanna works with Eat Move Grow through a federal grant that services rural schools in delta parishes of Louisiana. She has served multiple leadership roles with LAHPERD, Southern District, and SHAPE America. Joanna is an OPEN National Trainer and Champion Ambassador for NFL Play 60.
Joe Weaver
Joe Weaver has been employed by Catawba County Schools in North Carolina since graduating from Lenoir Rhyne University in 2006. Joe is the recipient of several awards including the 2015 Norm Leafe Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the North Carolina Physical Education Association, the 2017 Bob Blackburn Jump Rope for Heart Coordinator of the Year Award, and the 2018 Puckett-Merriman Award. He serves as Vice President of the Physical Education Association for North Carolina AAHPERD-SM and is an OPEN National Trainer.
Kate Cox
Kate Cox is a Nationally Board Certified physical educator who is passionate about physical literacy and high-quality professional development. Kate is the 2017 CAHPERD Middle School Teacher of the Year (TOY) & the 2018 SHAPE America Southwest District Middle School TOY. Along with being an OPEN National Trainer, Kate is an Instructional Coach for the Health and Physical Education Collaborative (H-PEC) and has worked with the California Subject Matter Projects for Health and Physical Education. Kate’s been teaching 4th-8th grade Physical Education at Corte Madera School in Portola Valley for 19 years, and has presented at many state, national, and international conferences.
Kim Walker-Smith
Kim Walker-Smith, M. Ed., NBCT, is a PreK-8 PE teacher/Circus Director at Thomas Metcalf School at Illinois State University. Over her 30-year career, she has been active in various capacities with physical education, physical fitness and running a circus program. Before coming to Thomas Metcalf, she was an Instructional Assistant Professor in the PETE program for the School of Kinesiology at ISU from 1998-2007. Kim attained her NBCT certification in 2013 and recently became an OPEN National Trainer. Her expertise is in PreK-2nd movement, MS curriculum, SEL integration and assessment. Kim has devoted her professional life in teaching others to build confidence and competence through the joy of movement.
Kristy Kirk
Kristy Kirk has over 12 years of teaching/coaching experience at the elementary and high school levels. From the beginning, Kristy’s passion for providing innovative learning experiences to meet the needs of her diverse students created opportunities for her professional growth. Presenting at various professional development conferences for over a decade, she was named Florida’s High School Teacher of the Year in 2020. In addition to teaching, coaching, and serving as an OPEN National Trainer, Kristy works with various non-profit organizations to create opportunities for her high school students to provide community service at various Florida-based running events.
Kym Hardin
Kym Hardin is the Physical Education and Health Coordinator for Healthy Schools Oklahoma (HSOK), a non-profit that promotes health and wellness in elementary schools across Oklahoma. There she gets to help teachers and schools bring programs to help students in all areas of health. Before joining HSOK, Kym was an elementary physical education teacher in Oklahoma City Public Schools for 9 years. In 2014, Kym was named Teacher of the Year for her school. Kym joined the OPEN National Trainers Team in 2022 to help bring passion and excitement to more teachers in and out of Oklahoma!
LaDonda Porter
LaDonda Porter has been teaching at Beaumont Middle School for Fayette County Public Schools in Lexington, KY for over fifteen years. Additionally, she coaches, serves on the school site-based decision-making team, is athletic director and intramural director, and continues to build a unique, non-traditional physical education program. In 2018, LaDonda was honored as Kentucky Secondary Physical Education Teacher of the Year and in 2020 she was the recipient of the SHAPE America Southern District Middle School Teacher of the Year. In addition to serving the profession as an OPEN National Trainer, LaDonda actively serves for the KYSHAPE Executive Board.
Laurie Gombash
OPEN National Trainer Laurie Gombash is a physical therapist (PT) who holds a Master’s degree in Education. She worked in the public school setting for over twenty-five years and is considered a specialist in Early Childhood movement enhanced learning. Laurie loves sharing her techniques and strategies that are designed to promote multisensory whole body learning. Laurie is the creator of The ABC’s of Movement®, high quality activity card set that combines movement with learning the alphabet. Throughout her professional career, she has been featured in webinars, performed research, created movement based products, and has written three books.
Linda Hilgenbrinck
Linda is a nationally certified Adapted PE Specialist/CAPE in Denton, Texas, a Ph.D. in Adapted PE from Texas Woman’s University 2001. She has presented APE topics at state, national, and international levels as invited/keynote speaker. Linda is a Lifetime Member in the National Consortium on PE for Individuals with Disabilities and was the recipient of the following: Texas AHPERD APE TOY 2011, Southern District AHPERD APE TOY 2012, National APE TOY AAHPERD/AAPAR 2012. In addition, Linda received the Texas Woman’s University, Distinguished Alumni in 2015 and Texas AHPERD’s Honor Award 2019. In 2022, she became an OPEN National Trainer.
Luis Ramos
Luis Ramos has over 11 years of teaching and coaching experience at the elementary and middle school levels. Luis has served as an Athletic Director and as a Healthy Schools Team Leader. He now serves as the Staff Developer for Physical Education and Health for Pinellas County Schools in Florida. When Luis is not in a physical education classroom, he is coaching group fitness classes for adults. Luis is an OPEN National Trainer as he strives to impact generations by collaborating with new and seasoned teachers to grow the physical education profession.
Margaret Robelee
Margaret has over 33 years of Elementary PE teaching experience. She is an experienced presenter at the state and national levels and was named as a Teacher of the Year by Taconic Region PTA, NYS AHPERD, and Eastern District SHAPE America. In 2017 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Heart Association – Dutchess/Ulster Chapter. Robelee is an OPEN National Trainer, a NYS AHPERD Curriculum and Assessment Guidance Document Trainer, active in NYS AHPERD as Southeastern Zone President and Chairperson of the Elementary PE TOY Committee, and has served as Technology Section Co-President and on numerous committees.
Mark Friedrich
Mark Friedrich is a veteran health and physical education teacher of 27 years, a national presenter of adventure education / team building activities, camp counselor and an OPEN National Trainer. Mark has taught both elementary and high school levels but finds his passion in adventure education at Millburn High School in New Jersey. Mark is the recipient of the 2016 New Jersey Secondary Physical Education Teacher of the Year and the 2021 SHAPE America Joy of Effort Award.
Mary Driemeyer
Mary Driemeyer has taught elementary physical education for over 25 years. She currently teaches outdoor adventure classes and has coached archery, swimming and taught high school summer school. In 2012, Mary was honored as Missouri Elementary PE Teacher-of-the-Year, 2013 SHAPE Central District Elementary PE Teacher-of-the-Year, and 2015 Lindbergh Schools Teacher of the Year. In addition to teaching and serving as an OPEN National Trainer, Mary serves as MOSHAPE’s Director of Technology. She has a passion for restorative practices, curriculum integration, technology, and outdoor activities.
Mary Jo Geddes
Mary Jo Geddes will be starting her twentieth-year teaching Health and PE at Tates Creek High School in Lexington, KY. She is currently the Department Chair for HPE at Tates Creek as well as a Team Lead for the Freshman Academy. Mary Jo was Kentucky’s 2020 Health Teacher of the Year, and the 2021 Southern District Health Teacher of the Year. In addition to teaching, and serving as an OPEN National Trainer, she is the Secondary Content Leader for Fayette County, as well as a member of KYSHAPE’s board and the KY Health Cadre.
Matthew Bristol
Matthew Bristol has 9 Years of experience teaching physical education in a PK-8 public school setting. Recently, Matt transitioned to teach middle school wellness, addressing both health and physical education standards. Matt volunteered on the SHAPE Vermont board serving various positions from 2014-2019 including Awards Chair, President, and Conference Chair. In 2020, Matt was named SHAPE Vermont Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. In addition to teaching and serving as an OPEN National Trainer, Matt sits on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters Vermont.
Melanie Lynch
OPEN National Trainer Melanie Lynch graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a Master’s degree in Counselor Education. Melanie is in her 23rd year teaching and presently works as a Health and PE teacher at North Allegheny Intermediate High School. Currently, she serves on the SHAPE America Health Education Council. She has also served on the Executive Board for PSAHPERD for ten years and was a past-President of PSAHPERD. Melanie has co-authored the skills-based health education textbook, Comprehensive Health, published by Goodheart-Willlcox. In 2016, SHAPE America named Melanie its National Health Teacher of the Year.
Michael Martinez
Michael Martinez has spent the last 10 years delivering high quality physical education at the elementary, middle and high school levels to the students of New York City. This varied experience, coupled with presenting at the local, state, regional and national level led to Michael being named an OPEN National Trainer in July 2017. Michael is co-host of the monthly OPEN Forum Podcast and enjoys spending quality time at home or on the beach with his beautiful wife, Sara and their son, Mason.
Michael Miller
Michael Miller, a dual certified Health and PE teacher, has been teaching for over 10 years at the Elementary, Middle, and High School levels. He currently teaches for the NYC Department of Education in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. In 2017, Miller began his journey with OPEN at PE Institute, contributing to the social media coverage of the event. Later that year, along with Mike Martinez, launched the OPENForum Podcast and is now Co-lead of the Member Outreach division. Michael was formally named an OPEN National Trainer in 2018. Michael has a passion for educational technologies, social media, and the sport of wrestling at all levels.
Mike Morris
Mike Morris has taught elementary physical education in Rocky Mount, North Carolina for five years. In his brief career, Mike has earned both First Year Teacher of the Year for his district and Teacher of the Year for both schools he services each week. Along with promoting healthy, active lifestyles, Mike’s passion includes creating innovative physical education activities, and sharing ideas with others at educational conferences, as well as via Twitter.
Nichole Wilder
Nichole Wilder is an OPEN National Trainer with over 20 years of experience in physical education, including 9 years as an elementary physical education teacher prior to joining the Florida Department of Education as the state-level Physical Education Specialist. In 2008-2009, she led a committee of national and state-level experts through a complete revision of Florida’s Physical Education Standards. Nichole has served on the SHAPE Florida Board of Directors for the last 10 years, receiving a Presidential Award in 2012 and the Peter Everett Honor Award in 2013, the organization’s highest honor.
Nick Kline
Nicholas Kline is advocate for physical education and embraces the importance of remaining active for a lifetime. Nick is a National Board Certified teacher and taught elementary physical education for 10 years. Currently, he is an adjunct lecturer at SUNY Cortland. Nick received a Bachelor’s of Science from Ithaca College where he majored in both PE and business. He was awarded an M.S.Ed. from SUNY Cortland, majoring in special education. As an OPEN National Trainer, Nick shares his passion and enthusiasm with others.
Pamela Straker
Pam Straker has a decade of experience as an elementary physical educator in Pasadena, TX and is the Wellness Team Leader for her school, which focuses on Coordinated School Health for the whole child. Pam was the recipient of the Texas AHPERD 2021-2022 Elementary PE Teacher of the Year Award and has achieved the TAHPERD Exemplary School – Level 1 Award for Red Bluff Elementary. Outside of the classroom, Pam is an OPEN National Trainer and continues to present within Pasadena ISD to fellow physical educators. Pam is the current Chair for the Texas AHPERD Elementary PE division – Region 4.
Rob Pohlner
Rob Pohlner has 20 years of exemplary teaching experience at the elementary level, serving Maryland Public Schools in a variety of community settings. Additionally, he has years of experience presenting professional development at the county and state levels in Maryland, both live and virtually. Rob received a Curriculum Award through Harford County Public Schools in 2017 for his indoor fitness trail and was honored with the Simon A. McNeely Award by SHAPEMD in 2019. As an OPEN National Trainer, Rob Pohlner looks forward to helping other Physical Education teachers by providing them rigorous, outcomes-based curriculum tools to improve their effectiveness.
Rob Poore
Rob Poore has devoted his 17 year career to supporting high quality physical education throughout Northern Delaware and beyond. He has a passion for supporting teachers, and teacher candidates, in their journey to improve their instruction and magnify their impact on students. Rob was the SHAPE Delaware Elementary Physical Educator of the year in 2015 and in 2022 he was the Colonial School District Teacher of the Year. With a focus on teacher development, Rob has designed and delivered various professional learning sessions and seminars throughout the region and is an OPEN National Trainer.
Roy Mitchell
Roy Mitchell has 9 years of teaching experience at the elementary level in DC Public schools. He has worked with DC Public Schools to create curriculum, provide professional development, and hold teacher leadership positions as well. Roy is the director for social media for SHAPE DC, works with programming for SHAPE DC, and presents to teachers across the country as an OPEN National Trainer.
Ryan Macy
Ryan Macy has taught physical education for 13 years. Ryan is part of the OPEN National Trainer Team. He is a member of the Indiana Society for Health and Physical Education (INSHAPE) and serves on the Elementary Physical Education Council. Ryan also teaches elementary methods classes at the University of Indianapolis. In 2019, Ryan was awarded the INSHAPE Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year.
Seth Martin
Seth Martin teaches K-5 physical education at Sierra House Elementary in South Lake Tahoe, CA. Seth has been recognized as the Governor’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sport Teacher of the Year in 2010, a council headed by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is also the 2018 California AHPERD Elementary PE TOY. Seth is the President-Elect for CAHPERD and an OPEN National Trainer. Seth has worked as a mentor for beginning teachers in his district. Additionally, he has served on various community committees and councils. Seth and his wife, Kelly, have two sons Brody and Merrick.
Shannon Maly
Shannon Maly has taught physical education and health for 15 years at both the middle and high school levels. Shannon is currently teaching at Sun Prairie High School in southern Wisconsin where she strives to find new and innovative activities to encourage her students to be active and find fun in lifetime fitness. She is currently representing her state organization as the High School Vice President for WHPE. The past two years Shannon has been presenting nationally as an OPEN National Trainer on dance, fitness assessments, and the OPEN curriculum. Her professional interests are in teaching, curriculum development and advocating for quality programs.
Shannon Tjaden
Shannon Tjaden has spent the last twenty-two years teaching quality physical education at the elementary, middle, and high school levels to the students of Deadwood and Dell Rapids, South Dakota. Shannon has also been an OPEN National Trainer since 2019. He was named SHAPE South Dakota Middle School Teacher of the Year in 2012 and SHAPE South Dakota Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2017. Shannon enjoys spending time at home with his family, hunting, snowboarding, playing golf and baseball.
Stephanie Dickson
Stephanie Dickson has over 21 years of teaching experience in all K-12 levels. Stephanie currently is the K-12 Instructional Coach for Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, serving 43 schools and over 23,000 students. She serves as Chairperson on several Kansas City area committees focusing on health and wellness for underserved students. She also serves on the Kansas AHPERD board as the Chair for Legislative/Advocacy Committee and is an OPEN National Trainer.
Tia Moore
Tia Moore has over 18 years of exceptional teaching and mentoring experience at both the secondary and post-secondary levels. She has served as a physical education administrator, curriculum developer and instructional coach. During her career she has worked in diverse school districts implementing new programming to enhance student engagement. Tia was honored as Virginia’s Secondary Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 2020. In addition to teaching and serving as an OPEN National Trainer, Tia works with several organizations providing teaching and consulting services.
Tom Gelardi
Thomas Gelardi has been teaching physical education for over 16 years at the elementary level in New York City. He attended Manhattan College and Graduated with a BS in Exercise Science and a master’s degree in Physical Education from Adelphi University. He is an OPEN PE National Trainer and 2022 NYSAHERD Elementary PE Teacher of the year. Tom has presented numerous PE workshops in New York state and virtually all around the world including England, Thailand, Turkey, and India. He created a YouTube channel and TikTok account to support elementary PE teachers and programs.
Tom Roberts
Tom has 30 years of experience teaching elementary physical education. He has served on his state Minnesota SHAPE in various capacities (including President). In addition to being an OPEN National Trainer, he has presented on both the state and national levels. Most recently, Tom has taught at a Title One school which has given him the opportunity to teach students with limited resources and diverse backgrounds. He has collaborated with local non-profit Special Olympics of Minnesota to become a Unified Champion School which promotes schoolwide inclusion and kindness.
Tracy Sharlow
Tracy Sharlow has taught Adapted Physical Education for over 34 years, is an OPEN National Trainer, and OPEN Adapted PE Curriculum writer. Her professional honors include 2013 NYSAHPERD Northern Zone Amazing Person, 2014 NYSAHPERD Adapted PE Amazing Person, 2015 NYSAHPERD Adapted PE Teacher of the Year, and 2017 SHAPE America National Adapted PE Teacher of the Year. She has proudly served NYSAHPERD as the Adapted PE Section President and Northern Zone President. She authentically connects with her students through play. She believes ALL kids love to play and teachers should focus on students’ abilities, not disabilities because physical literacy is the foundation of EVERY child’s life.
Trent Suzuki
Trent Suzuki has nearly 20 years of innovative teaching experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in physical education, and over 35 years of experience as a renowned strength and conditioning coach working with athletes at the middle, high school, college, and professional levels. Additionally, Trent has over 40 years of experience as a martial arts instructor, specializing in combative tactics and self-defense applications. In 2022, Trent was named the SHAPE America Western District Elementary Teacher-of-the-Year and is an OPEN National Trainer with a passion for helping teachers become more effective and reflective practitioners.
Valerie Nagy
Valerie Nagy is a 12th year health and physical education teacher from Mentor, Ohio, 30 minutes east of Cleveland. She currently teaches kindergarten to 5th grade physical education and adapted physical education at Ridge Elementary School. In addition to being an OPEN National Trainer, she serves as the elementary physical education department coordinator. Valerie has taught kindergarten through 12th grade over her career at private, urban, and suburban schools, as well as coached JV and varsity volleyball for 6 years.
Vic Ramsey
Dr. Victor Ramsey is a Curriculum and Training Specialist with the New York City Office of School Wellness Programs. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Assistant Professor with York College of the City University of New York. Vic often shares his love for physical education with others via work as a Physical Best and National OPEN Trainer. He currently serves as the Diversity and Inclusiveness Section President of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Victor Spadaro
Victor Spadaro teaches physical education at the elementary level for Arlington Public Schools in Virginia. Additionally, Victor has coached at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Along with being an OPEN National Trainer, he works with the Chief Movement Officers (CMO) Cadres in Virginia as a mentor to provide movement opportunities and calm strategies in the classroom. Victor is well known for his knowledge of dance and the creation of instructional dance videos shared online. He is also a curriculum contributor for the state of Virginia and OPEN.
Will Potter